Switch and signal-rod-carrier support



Sept. 18,, 1928.

Filed Feb; 25, 19244 o s FLATH SWITCH AND SIG AL 3 01) CARRIER surnon'i' longer range of adjustment.

Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

OTTO S. FLATI-I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH AND SIGNAL-ROD-CARRIER SUPPORT.

Application filed February 25, 1924. Serial No. 694,833.

My invention relates to means for supporting the carriers usually employed 1n distant switch or signal operation; the signal or switch operating elements in such instances usually being in the nature of pipes which must be slidably mounted on suitably secured roller holding carriers to permit easy operation.

Furthermore, it is essential that such means must have sufficient strength and rigidity to resist the repeated thrusts encountered during movement or shifting of the operating elements or pipe lines in opposite 'directions necessary for the different positionings of the switch or signals.

The invention also has for its object the provision of a construction which will be comparatively cheap to manufacture ,easy to assemble and put into place; and which will permit additions and adjustments, within a given range, after the various parts have been assembled and put into place.

As devices of this character are usually employed or mounted on suitable foundations or piers which are frequently of concrete, it is essential to employ a supporting element or pedestal of such construction as will permit substantial leveling of the pedestal even though the foundation top may have a more or less uneven surface.

Another object of my invention is to provide means of the character referred to which is of such construction and arrangement as to provide more or less elastic adjustment by reason of the fact that the supporting element or pedestal and the carrier holding anchor bars may be secured together Without requiring a definite register between the bolt-receiving holes or apertures of the anchor bars and the pedestal, as, however,'is the case with many of the carrier supports at present in use; my improved construction permitting adjustment of the pedestal relative to the foundation without. interfering with the adjustment or fastening-of the an chor bars and the carriers supported therepermltting' 'a by; while at the same time 1 The various objects and advantages of my invention will be more readily comprehended from the detailed description of the ac companying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved support secured on a foundation,

with a rod carrier mounted thereon; portions vided with ribs 19,

of the foundation and anchor bars being broken away. b

Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of my improved pedestal. 7 t

Figure 3 is a. detail sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. T

The various switches in railroad control systems are frequently operated from a common point or tower by means of pipes'as shown at 10 supported bysuitable rollers 11 mounted in side brackets or carriers 12; the pipes or lines 10 being maintained in place against vertical displacement by rollers as at 13 journaled in the upper'ends of the side brackets, namely above the pipe 10. i

As the carrier 12, shown in thedrawin'g,

is a well known construction, a further dctailed description thereof need'not be enter ed into.

The supports for the carriers are usually mounted on and preferably removably secured to a pier or foundation, which may be of concrete and is partially shown at It in Figure 1. 7

My improved support for the carriers consists of an integral or single piece member or pedestal 15, having a. substantially flat body portion 16 of suitable length, with the ends terminating in upwardly disposed portions or heads 17, 17 of comparative thickness at the upper. ends and of any desired height. In order to obtain the requisite at the same time providea comparatively light-metallic member or pedestal, the ends 17, 17 are preferably hollowed out and the head portions reenforced by the connecting webs 18, 18, which slope upwardly and outwardly. I

The bottom of the body portion 16 is pro-. which are preferably at the ends of the body portion as shown in Figure 2 and which in reality constitute the feet on which the pedestal rests. WVith the bottom of the body portion 16 formed with the widely separated bearing points, it

strength and C is apparent that the ribs 19 may be arranged bility of binding whereby easy operation of the pipe lines would be impossible; a difficulty, however, which may be encountered with pedestals having continuous flat sun faces or bottom bearing surfaces of com- PillittlVQ width.

As the pedestals are usually disposed adjaeent to opposite edges 'of the pier or foundation 14 (especially where the foundations are of concrete) to permit the pedestals being fastened in place, thebody portion 16 is preferably extended outwardly beyond one of the'longitudinal sides so as to overhang the side of the pier or foundation while the rib portions 19 rest entirely on the pier. The base portion 16 is provided with a transversely disposed slot 20 which is adapted 'to receive a hoolobolt 21; the lower end whereof enters a socket in the side of the pier or foundation 14, while the upper end is threaded and receives a nut 22. The slot 20 permits adjustment of the pedestal relative to the foundation without interfering with the supported elements and vtheir-respective adjustments.

The upwardly disposed ends or heads 17 are each provided with a transversely arranged slot 23 which extends to opposite sides of the heads and therefore open and accessible from opposite sides of the heads.

I These slots 23 are larger at the base or lower foundations are anchored together by means ends to receive the heads of bolts, while the upper portions of the slots are of widthjust suflicient for the passage of the body portion of a bolt, thus preventing vertical displacement of the bolt.

The pedestals at opposite sides of the of suitable anchor bars, as at 24, which afford support for the intermediate sets of carrier brackets 12; the anchor barsQ l are secured to the pedestal heads by means of bolts 25, the heads whereof are inserted into the slots 28 (being inserted from the ends of the slots at the sides of the heads) while the bolts extend upwardly throughthe slots and throughthe registeringholes in the anchor bars 24 and the bolt-holes in the foot portion of the carrier side brackets 12, as

shown in Figure 1. The anchor bars are usuallyprovided with a plurality of boltholes of predetermined spacing, in keepin with the distance between the boltholes o the abutting foot portions of a pair of carrier side brackets 12.

As is apparent from the construction as illustrated in Figure 1, a pair of bolts (one at each end of the pedestal) is sufficient to secure the two anchor bars 24 and a carrier bracket to the pedestal; while at the same time the slots 23 will prevent rotation of the bolts and loosening of the fastening means through vibration. The construction of the pedestal heads obviates the necessity of definite registration between the boltholes in the anchor bars and any particular portionof the pedestal-head, and as a result the construction permits of a more or less elastic adjustment of the carrier carrying anchor bars relative to the pedestals; while the combination of the slot 20 in the pedestal base and the elongated slots 23 in the pedestal heads 17 provides a larger range of adjustmentlof the system than otherwise would be the case. I

In the particular eXe'mplificat-iomthe anchor bars are shown in the nature of angle irons arranged in lapping relation with the inner opposing faces orsides of the pedestal heads, but it is apparentthat the anchor bars may be arranged in lapping relation with of description and not as terms of limita tion, as structural modifications are possible and may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:-.

In a carrier support, the combination of apedestal consisting of a substantially fiat body portion of greater width intermediate of its ends and slotted transversely, the bottom of said portion being provided with transversely disposed reenforcing and bearing ribs, the ends of the body portion being disposed upwardly and increasing in thick.

ness to provide head portions having fiat upper surfaces, said head portions being each provided with a transverselyfdisposed inverted T-shape slot open at opposite sides of the head portion, connecting webs on the outer ends of the pedestalfbetween theebody portion "and .the head portions, anglebars supported on said head portions with one side of each angle bar in lappingrelation with :a side of the respective head portion 1 while the other side of the angle bar rests on the upper face of therespective head portion transversely of the slot therein, with bolts for securing thenanglc bars on ;the pedestal, the heads of the bolts beingsinverted in said T-shaped slots, saidbolts also seeming the carrier in place or'ros. mm 

